Harrah's Joliet Casino & Hotel ~ August 3 & 4, 2007

The Largest Golden Tee Tournament in History" is not just a tagline for the Golden Tee LIVE Regional Championship (GTLRC) but a reality. Building off the success of 2006, the GTLRC has captivated the Golden Tee community and become one of the most anticipated events of the year.

Never was this more evident than during the 2007 Midwest Open on August 3-4 at Harrah’s Casino in Joliet, IL. During a 6-week period starting June 1st, over 850 people played 100,000 games of Golden Tee LIVE to qualify for the Midwest Open. And with nearly 200 players in attendance, the Midwest Open was officially the largest field in Golden Tee tournament history - a true testament to the success of the Regionals.

Along with hundreds of Golden Tee fans, media and a massive tournament staff, over 190 players descended upon Harrah’s to kick-off the second year of the GTLRC and compete in the first of the tournament’s three live finals. They came from as far as Minnesota and Missouri to be greeted by the friendly sight of 50 tournament-ready Golden Tee LIVE machines on free play for an entire weekend of
competition and camaraderie.

The GTLRC was back! And once again Golden Tee's elite spun trackballs side-by-side with the game's neophytes to create the largest melting pot of GT players ever!

PEWTER MUG ON THE LINE IN PUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Even before the doors opened Friday night there was only one thing on everybody's mind: the Pub Championship – the closet-to-the-pin kick-off event to the 2007 Regional Championships.

113 qualifiers who had the best 50-game average on one machine in one location throughout the two-month qualification period competed in the championship. With all of them vying for nearly $2,000 in prize money and the $1,000 first place prize.

On two big screens in front of an animated crowd, pub champions from across the Midwest fired at par-3 pins. Known as "the great equalizer", closest-to-the pin takes pure skill and repetition and throws it out the window. CTTP is anybody's game and a little luck may just become the deciding factor for the title.

Blind-draw was used to set up two 64-man brackets - which included byes. And it didn't take long before the upsets started coming. In just the sixth match in the "Duffer Dan" Bracket, Jason Matkovich, representing Augies Bar and Grill in Madison Heights, MI fell to the fan favorite from Tipsey's Bar and Grill in Indianapolis, Chad Schrump. A few matches later in the "Sobe Bracket", former World Champion Jeff Harlow of Side Pockets in St. Charles was upset by newcomer Scott Bouchonville of Simonet's Pub in Green Bay, WI.

Round four knocked off a few more big names, but it also produced a Pub Championship first – a tie! Fellow Wisconsinites, Charles Fastner of Bub's Irish Pub in Germantown and Scott Krueger of Jabroni's in Oshkosh, sent a wave of cheers around the room when both players knocked their shots EXACTLY 4.92 feet away from the pin. The tie forced another round of shots from both players. But after the initial shock was over, Fastner was able to re-focus and knock off Krueger.

But after 90-minutes worth of dazzling CTTP action, the field was down to the final four champions, which included three representatives from Minnesota and one from Michigan.

Jade Johnson whittled the field down to three by knocking off friend and fellow Pub Champ from Majors Sports Cafe, Chris Thorbrogger. Then it was Mike Demko of Wheat and Rye in Allen Park, MI who punched his ticket for the finals by beating Todd Penticoff of Bumpers in Burnsville, MN. Demko eventually took down Johnson to win the $1,000 prize, take home the pewter mug and be crowned the Midwest Pub Champion.

Midwest Pub Championship 2007 Final Results

Congratulations Mike Demko on Winning the Midwest Open Pub Championship!